Hudds North/South TRA Event on Monday 20/01/14

Over 50 representatives from Tenants and Residents Associations in the two Huddersfield neighbourhoods turned up for this event. As well as time to catch up and talk to other volunteers, KFTRA arranged for Michael Gelling Chair of TAROE (Tenants and Residents of England) to attend the meeting. Michael gave an interesting talk on a new campaign being organised by TAROE to find out what tenants actually want and what the important issues are that affect social housing tenants.
Some of the issues raised were;

No rent increase above inflation

Abolish the bedroom tax

Rinfencing issues

Negative publicity

Tenants should have a huge political influence

One in five people in England live in the social housing sector, thats 10.6 million people living in 4.2 million properties.

TAROE aim to ask as many of their membership as possible to identify their concerns and priorities and these will be presented to the main political parties with the demand that the voice of 20% of the population is listened to and their concerns are met.

If you would like to take part in this important survey and add your voice to the tenant movement, then please click the link below.

BIG Energy Saving Week

Big Energy Saving Week is back! January 2014 will mark the third Big Energy Saving Big Energy Saving WeekWeek; a national campaign to help people cut their fuel bills and get all the financial support they are entitled to.

Energy is a huge issue and accessing it cheaply, getting support where needed and saving it where possible can have a massive impact on consumers’ ability to manage their energy usage and cost.

Many people stay on the same tariff or with the same energy supplier for years, without realising they could be getting a better deal elsewhere. They could be saving up to £200 a year, particularly if they have never switched before.

CHECK—SWITCH—INSULATE.

Check

Contact your energy supplier to check you
are on the best tariff and payment method for your circumstances, or if they can offer you any discounts to cut your bills.

Contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau to check you are not missing out on any benefits or tax credits that could boost your income.

Switch

Visit an accredited switching website to see if you could get your energy cheaper elsewhere. Shopping around for your energy supplier could save you as much as £200 if you have never switched before.

If you use heating oil as your main fuel, see if there are any local oil buying clubs you can join. If not, you might want to start your own.

Insulate

If you’re worried about how much money you’re spending to heat and light your home,
or just want to spend less, there are some simple steps you can take to make your home more energy efficient.

Keep in the heat by insulating the cavity walls and the loft of your home – you could save up to £320 per year. Most suppliers are giving away free or discounted insulation and other energy efficiency measures so ask if you’re eligible.

New Housing Solutions Service for Kirklees

From 1st April 2013, we are offering a new service called Housing Solutions Service – bringing together Private Sector Housing and the Housing Options and Support Service

What support does Housing Solutions offer?

The service’s main focus is on assisting people to find, keep, maintain and live independently in quality, affordable homes.

Customers can access advice and support which includes:-

Access to housing information and guidance

Advice on a range of housing options

Assessment of housing need including the prevention of and assessment of homelessness

Information and advice to private sector landlords and tenants and some home owners

Housing related support to enable vulnerable people to maintain their accommodation.

The service adopts a person centred, creative early intervention / prevention approach to solving housing problems, only turning to compliance action as a last resort.

Where can people access the service?

The service will continue to be provided from the Customer Service Centres, currently Civic Centre 1 in Huddersfield and the Walsh Building in Dewsbury. The service will move to the new Huddersfield Customer Service Centre when it opens in late Spring.

For further information please contact:

Operations Managers: .

Cath McGurk – Access to Housing

Steve Cale – Quality Homes

Team Managers:

Lynne Mitchell – Young People and Support

John Marsden – Advice and Assessment

Lisa Allan/Carina Kemp – Access to Housing Solutions Services

Peter Halpenny – Temporary Accommodation

Jeremy Maguire – Access to Private Rented and Compliance

All can be contacted by phoning 221000 or internal 860 1000 and asking for them by name.